This is the most underrated breakfast in Kansas City. Try the churros, trust me
There are probably a dozen reasons why AR’s Breakfast and Brunch in Overland Park has become my favorite breakfast spot, but I’m going to begin with a joke.
Because when I start my order — and I’d recommend you do the same — I’m almost always reminded of Nate Bargatze’s famous Starbucks experience, in which he attempts to order iced coffee with cream and a confused barista hears iced coffee whipped cream. He leaves the shop embarrassed and decides to drive to a new Starbucks to try again.
With all due respect to one of the funniest comedians going, AR’s has turned iced coffee with whipped cream into an art, and it’s just the start to a breakfast place as good as any — in a city loaded with them.
My AR’s order typically goes something like this: vanilla iced coffee ($5.50), breakfast tacos with bacon ($13.99) and — if I can convince my fiancée or whomever I’m with to share — the churros ($6.99).
The tacos are absolutely perfect. They have great flavor, the portion size is more than enough, and the side of tomatillo salsa complements them perfectly. (This coming from a salsa snob.) The potatoes are lightly crisped — never greasy or soggy. And it’s the perfect sweet-savory blend when paired with one of the iced coffees (AR’s also does a caramel-drizzle version with a cookie on top) or even a mimosa.
No, this journalist didn’t have a mimosa on the clock, but the table behind me ordered the mimosa tower ($55.99). If that image isn’t enough to tell you how seriously this spot takes mimosas, you could probably figure it out from the signage: “MIMOSA TIME!!” hangs over the kitchen counter.
Or, you know, the Wi-Fi password: mimosas. (Sorry if I wasn’t supposed to share that publicly.)
That’s just the start of the experience.
The story behind AR’s Breakfast and Brunch
Oscar Romero, the owner of both the Overland Park eatery (8021 Metcalf Ave.) and a newer location in Westport (4117 Pennsylvania Ave.), named the restaurant for his father, who he says always dreamed of having a restaurant of his own.
Anivar Romero died in 1990, Oscar said, and his son honors his legacy through AR’s, and does it with a smile.
Over the course of 90 minutes at the Overland Park location, which opened in 2023, Romero must have had conversations with 20 different people — employees, customers, delivery men — recognizing almost all of them by name.
His menu favorite is the chilaquiles ($13.99) “all day, every day.” That includes a new recipe from Romero, in addition to the red- and green-salsa “traditional” versions, as he put it. There’s now a special chipotle option on the menu. The dish is highly acclaimed in Kansas City, named one of Kansas City Magazine’s best breakfast dishes in 2024.
Horchata waffles ($10.99) are “100%” the No. 1 seller, along with the chilaquiles, Romero added. It’s a picturesque dish that features a Belgian waffle cut into quarters with cinnamon sugar, honey cream drizzle, powdered sugar and whipped cream. It comes with a horchata maple syrup, and balances out many of the savory favorites on the menu.
I can also report, from prior experience, that the avo toast ($12.50), which comes with eggs and fruit, is a good healthy fallback if it’s too early for sugar.
Then there’s the iced coffee.
Romero went with vanilla and caramel as the main options because they’re fan favorites, but like everything else on the menu, he puts “a little Mexican twist into both of them.” The vanilla is definitely sweet, and it has a smooth taste for those who aren’t quite black coffee drinkers. I like to stir in the whip cream as I go, but it’s usually gone in minutes, anyway.
AR’s also serves a seasonal iced tres leches coffee, and there’s a chocolate iced coffee, too, if that’s your cup of tea (err, coffee).
Get the churros. Really
If you order a sweet dish — like the cinnamon roll pancake ($10.99), horchata waffles or any number of crepes we saw emerging from the kitchen during our stop at AR’s — you’re probably not going to do dessert.
Let me talk you into it.
The cinnamon roll churros are sweet, but not too sweet. There’s sweet and tangy cream cheese on the inside, just enough to add to the flavor, certainly not too much to make it a mess. And it comes with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side.
They’re warm, right out of the fryer, and they taste as good as anything you’d find at a bakery.
If you’re like me, and you prefer a savory breakfast entrée, it’s a no-brainer for dessert. And if you’re in a group, they come in four smaller pieces, perfect to share.
Whatever you order, the presentation is fantastic, if you’re into that sort of thing. And the restaurant itself is plenty Instagram-friendly, with neon signs, fun backgrounds and an all-around good vibe.
Oh, and the TVs are a plus, too.
AR’s can get crowded if you go Saturday or Sunday morning — the restaurant is open 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday — but the service is fast and attentive, and groups of two or four shouldn’t have a problem getting seated.
It’s a nice stop before a Chiefs or college football game day, and one of my favorite places to catch up with friends when we have a free morning.
What’s next for AR’s — and where?
So what’s next for the breakfast eatery?
AR’s has locations in Overland Park and Kansas City. Another location in Olathe closed due to the I-35 expansion, but Romero said the hope is to be back in a new Olathe spot by late this year or early next year.
“We’re pretty excited,” Romero said, echoing the thoughts of this writer, who coincidentally lives in Olathe.
Fans of good food should be, too. And that includes Romero, who was asked by The Star’s Tammy Ljungblad if there’s anything else people should know about the owner of AR’s Breakfast and Brunch.
“About me?” Romero said, cracking a smile, then a laugh. “I don’t know. I like breakfast.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
